WALL WORRIES

Q

There are some small cracks in my living-room wall where it meets the ceiling. Could it be subsidence? A

‘Don’t panic! Minor cracks either in new plaster or where walls and ceilings meet can be covered with filler,’ says Prima’s homes editor, Carolyn

Bailey. ‘The ones to worry about are diagonal cracks that go through the wall and are wider at the top than the bottom. If you can fit a £1 coin in the crack, call your building-insurance company, as it’s likely to be subsidence. It’s serious, but only 10% of cases need underpinning, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.’